Battlestar Babylon Part II
by fredsavenger
Summary: NOTE: Will be busy for a few weeks. Don't expect an update until mid-Dec. Sorry. Babylon 5/Battlestar Galactica Crossover. Part 2 of 3. Starbuck returns to the Colonies with some allies and the Drakh look for revenge.
1. Prologue

Battlestar Babylon Part II  
  
Disclaimer: Rather obvious statement: Neither Babylon 5 nor Battlestar Galactica are my creations (as much as I wish they were). I am simply borrowing idea for my entertainment and the entertainment of others. I also borrow several lines from the series that I like particularly well, long- time fans will spot them with no trouble, especially the one in the epilogue.  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
1) Thank you to everyone who commented on Part I.  
  
2) This part of the story is separated into two books: Book I: Return to New Caprica and Book II: Defense of the Homeworlds. Book II is NOT Part III of the series.  
  
3) I'm going to post chapters periodically with this story.  
  
Prologue: 1230 CE (Earth Standard Reckoning)  
  
Two Vorlons stood in the center of the massive structure. Each knew the Shadows were preparing for the conflict. The forces of chaos would soon be returning to Z'ha'dum. The two Vorlons were searching for races that would be vulnerable to Shadow influence and races that would be open to Vorlon manipulation. Their attention was drawn to a remote section of the galaxy.  
  
A group of humans were rapidly expanding in that region. Those humans had been allowed to establish a foothold thanks to the stupidity of a Vorlon who had become too attached to them. Humans, like many of the younger races, were chaos personified, but these were a particularly bad batch. It was even worse due to the fact that these humans now had hyperspace capabilities. Fortunately they had been unable to understand all the technology on the Vorlon transport that had crash-landed on their new homeworld of Caprica.  
  
The Vorlons knew the chaos of the humans had to be destroyed. They must be forced to learn obedience and order. Another race was selected nearby. The reptilian species would probably come into conflict with the humans in the near future. The chaos inherent in that race could easily be transmuted into order. The reptiles were experimenting with robotic technology to support their military endeavors. A small push was all that was needed. The robots, the very symbols of order, could become the force that brought obedience to the humans. And of course, be the force that punished them for their insolence.  
  
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At the same time, two beings that would be named Shadows by the Minbari in 30 years conducted similar consultations. They would be moving soon. Orders were being sent out to their allies, telling them to prepare for the coming war. Their attention also focused on the humans occupying twelve worlds that they should not have the technology to reach. The Shadows had fought the Vorlons numerous times and knew how they thought. The humans were too chaotic; the Vorlons would certainly look for a counterweight.  
  
The Shadows, however, did not know which race the Vorlons to select. So, they decided that in case the Vorlons' champions succeeded, a few humans would have to be preserved. The human homeworld was much more primitive than the twelve colonies. Who knew if they would survive the coming war. The Shadows instead concentrated on a group of ships leaving one of the colonies, moving for a world that would most likely become the thirteenth colony. Orders were issued.  
  
Vessels as black as night appeared from nowhere around the small convoy. The pathetic defenses of the small vessels were no match for vessels of the First Ones. The battlecrabs towed the vessels to a planet far enough from the twelve colonies that it would not be affected by a conflict and far enough away that its inhabitants could not find their homeworld of Caprica. The inhabitants would come call their world Kobol, as they had planned to do with their original destination. Unfortunately, they would not survive the coming Shadow war. The wreckage of their habitation would last for 1000 years, long enough to be found by the commander of the Battlestar Galactica.  
  
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On Caprica, the mystery of the lost colony fleet was forgotten as war with the Cylons loomed. As the thousand-year conflict erupted, a small mistake was made. A nameless clerk transferring data from failing computer changed the information on the lost fleet from 'heading to Kobol' to 'arriving from Kobol'. And thus, the legend was born. 


	2. Book 1:Return to New Caprica, Chapter 1:...

Book I: Return to New Caprica  
  
Chapter One: Back to School March 1st, 2263 CE (Earth Standard Reckoning)  
  
The Centauri Vorchan exploded in front of the battlestar Traitor's Bane. The Cylon basestar advanced through the hole in its enemy's defenses. The battlestar stood its ground firmly against the oncoming behemoth. Cylon lasers began to strike the battlestar, but did no apparent damage. The centurions onboard the vessel attempted to analyze why this was so. The armor on the battlestar looked a little thicker than the norm, but some damage should still have been visible. The lasers may have malfunctioned, but this was doubtful with the recent destruction of the Centauri vessel. Traitor's Bane returned fire on the basestar. The result was very much evident. The upgraded lasers of the battlestar tore through the armor of the vessel at an unprecedented level.  
  
Meanwhile fighters swirled around the capital ships. Vipers, Sentris, Nials, and Starfuries combated Cylon raiders. Even with the short duration of the battle, the Cylon fighters had learned to fear the Minbari fighters. They were fast, tough, and well armed. They also had exceptional stealth capabilities. Many Cylon fighters were destroyed before realizing they had a Minbari on their tail. The Sentris were lightly armored, but so fast that few Cylon fighters had an opportunity to take advantage of the weakness.  
  
Overall, the Cylon basestar found itself overmatched. Once this realization became clear, the vessel attempted to contact the rest of the fleet. The basestar then discovered that it was being jammed. The jamming was also stronger than had been encountered previously. The Cylon basestar then did the only thing it could: it ran. The remaining fighters launched suicide runs at the battlestars and other capital ships of the Colonial fleet. The basestar maneuvered away from the fleet and powered up its jump engines.  
  
The basestar never got the chance though. Four jump points opened around the vessel and three White Stars, two Vorchans, and a Warlock class destroyer exited hyperspace and engaged the basestar. The Cylon commander of the vessel recognized the ingenuity of the Colonial plan even as its vessel was destroyed. The basestar had been separated from its fighters and, as a result, its defensive capabilities had been dramatically reduced. The EAS Titans fired first; its particle cannons slashed into the basestar and missiles from the destroyer smashed laser mounts. The White Stars continued to declaw the beast. The Vorchans closed and helped the Warlock finish off the Cylon capital ship.  
  
"Captain Susan Ivanova to Traitor's Bane. Enemy capital ship eliminated."  
  
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Lieutenant Jack Tyver's Thunderbolt followed the Cylon fighter as it flew towards the battlestar Caprican Avenger. Her upgraded lasers had inexplicably failed during the battle. He dodged around a Cylon fighter that was trying to ram an Earth Force destroyer. Tyver's target opened fire on the battlestar with its lasers, trying to soften the hull before impact. Tyver finally got a lock, though, and he launched his last missile at the fighter. The Cylon didn't even attempt to dodge; it exploded in a brilliant flash. Debris raked the battlestar, but its Centauri-designed shield system deflected part of it and the thick armor was undamaged by the remainder. The Centauri had designed a shield system similar to that of their Primus battlecruisers for the battlestars. The battlestars were much more survivable than the Primus, though, because they possessed armor much thicker than the Centauri battlecruisers.  
  
Tyver spun his fighter around. He made sure that no hostiles were left and returned to his destroyer. The Omega class destroyer Apollo was stationed near Traitor's Bane defending its landing bays from enemy fighters and capital ships. Tyver had served on the Apollo during the Battle of Mars, but due to the telepaths Sheridan had smuggled onto the destroyers of the fleet his fighter was never launched. He was grateful for that. Sheridan had always tried to disable rather than destroy Clark's capital ships, but it was nearly impossible to purposefully disable a fighter, so, many of the Starfuries and Thunderbolts that went up against Sheridan's forces didn't return.  
  
"Tyver to Apollo, I'm ready to land."  
  
"Roger Lieutenant, you are cleared for landing" was the reply from the destroyer's executive officer.  
  
"Thanks Commander." Tyver entered the small bay, relative to that of the nearby battlestar, of the destroyer. He quickly counted the number of fighters that were present. He was thrilled to see all 36 fighters of the destroyer had survived. The destroyer Hermes hadn't been so lucky; almost two dozen of her fighters had been lost in the battle.  
  
"Hey Jack!" He turned around and saw Sam Early, another pilot in Tyver's Alpha Squadron.  
  
"How'd it go out there? I just got in now."  
  
Sam's jolly mood faded with that comment. "We lost a pair of Centauri Vorchans and about 40 fighters."  
  
"That bad? We outnumbered them by quite a bit."  
  
"Yeah." The conversation stalled for a second. "We've got debriefing with the Commander in half an hour so stow your stuff and get going."  
  
"All right Sam, I'll be there."  
  
The fighter pilot began to remove his gear and grab a quick vibe shower before the debriefing. It was at times like these that he would have killed for some water.  
  
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Group Commander Starbuck stood silently in the bridge of the battlestar Traitor's Bane. Group Commander Rigel, who also doubled as the battlestar's commander, finished consulting with the vessel's damage control officer and walked over to her superior officer.  
  
"How bad is the damage?"  
  
"Not bad sir. The Centauri shielding deflected some of the energy from the blast and the armor stood up to what remained. I have EVA teams repairing the damage now, they expect to finish in two hours."  
  
"Do you think the stealth system worked Rigel?"  
  
"Yes sir I do." The Colonial had used data the Centauri provided on Minbari stealth technology along with their own cloaking capabilities to disguise damage to their capital ship. If everything worked properly, the Cylons would think that the Colonial vessels hadn't sustained any damage.  
  
"Excellent. Of course that leaves the bad news of the fleet's performance in the battle."  
  
Rigel was amazed at the change that the Group Commander, he was no longer 'Starbuck' in her eyes, since the Battle of Centauri Prime. He was more comfortable with commanding a battlegroup and the old carefree, but quick to anger, attitude was gone. Despite his mellow tone, Rigel knew he was furious.  
  
"Yes sir, there is that to deal with. Losses were very heavy considering the advantage in numbers we possessed."  
  
"It wasn't just that. They're not working together." He led Rigel over to a plot and replayed images of the battle. "Look, here, here, and here. The coordination is too slow between the Earth Force ships and the Centauri. The Minbari war cruisers on the left flank were too aggressive and outpaced the Centauri vessels supporting them. The White Stars on the right weren't aggressive enough. Our ships were fighting too conservatively. Ivanova's squadron performed admirably though; good coordination and excellent targeting."  
  
"I agree sir, but there just wasn't enough time to train the battlegroup together. It took a couple of months for Londo to calm down the republic and free up a large part of his fleet for duty. The White Stars were constantly being called away. Our ships were being repaired for most of the time. We had to move sir, there wasn't enough time to train the ships together." Rigel paused and prepared to offer her solution to the problem but her commander cut her off.  
  
"Then we're going to have to rectify this problem, aren't we? Signal to fleet, we will jump into hyperspace in two hours, beacon.31G549. Ladies and gentlemen, we're going back to school." 


	3. Chapter 2: Pipes and Pipe Dreams

Chapter Two: Pipes and Pipe Dreams  
  
Inside a pocket of vacuum the size of a solar system, a mass of jump points opened. The Colonial Exploration Battlegroup, with two attached battlegroups of Alliance vessels, exited hyperspace. The Colonial battlegroup had discovered the nebula on the voyage to Alliance space the previous year. A pocket of empty space was located inside the nebula; it was a perfect place to hide. The gas and dust of the nebula distorted sensors from the outside.  
  
The first wave of ships to exit hyperspace was a small, independent squadron headed by the EAS Titans. Her captain, Susan Ivanova, had trained the squadron mercilessly together for three months above the skies of Centauri Prime. Group Commander Starbuck instantly realized that they were the tip of his sword. Just in case there was Cylon resistance in the pocket, he wanted Ivanova's squadron there to deal with them.  
  
"All vessels, red alert. Lieutenant Stuart, report." Captain Ivanova addressed her sensor officer, a young lieutenant on his first assignment. She felt he was turning out well thus far.  
  
"No hostiles spotted Captain."  
  
"Captain, fighter control operator here, all vessels report ready to launch fighters." Ivanova had done something unique with her squadron; all flight operations were conducted from the Titans instead of independently on each ship. It made sense in her situation: the two Vorchans and the three White Stars only carried four fighters each, while the Warlock class destroyer held 42 Starfuries of various classes. Additionally, the Vorchans weren't designed to carry fighters (she had had them manually attached to the hull) and their captains had no experience utilizing them.  
  
"Thank you Lieutenant Commander, all fighters launch."  
  
The six ships unloaded their fighters. The eight Centauri Sentris sped from the squadron and began to scout the pocket. The twelve Minbari Nials formed up as a space superiority squadron. From the Warlock, twelve old model Starfuries were designated as defensive fighters for the squadron. The sixteen newer Thunderbolt class Starfuries flew in front of the squadron to engage enemy capital ships. Then, six special model Thunderbolts left the fighter bay. These Starfuries had been enhanced with Minbari and Colonial technology. They moved behind the Sentris, ready to support them if they encountered resistance.  
  
"Captain, jump points forming behind us."  
  
"Identify, Lieutenant." Ivanova, as well as every member of her squadron, knew they would be the rest of the fleet, but she never let them put their guard down.  
  
"First vessels emerging, captain, it's the rest of the fleet." The sensor officer gave no emotion to the statement. He was all business while on duty.  
  
Just like his captain.  
  
"Commander, stand the squadron down from red alert."  
  
"Aye Captain." Commander Alexander Mauder was as thorough as his captain, but more carefree. He was the perfect counterbalance to the VERY professional Ivanova.  
  
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"Alpha Squadron, launch.Beta Squadron, launch.Gamma Squadron, launch."  
  
Jack Tyver missed out on the last two statements as his squadron launched from Apollo. Gamma Squadron, which was composed of the older Aurora Starfuries, hung back with the destroyer. Alpha and Beta Squadrons moved out to join up with Silver Spar Gamma Squadron from Traitor's Bane. The Vipers were to escort the Thunderbolts, which were configured for capital ship strikes.  
  
"Apollo Alpha Squadron to Silver Spar Gamma, where are you?" Commander Jinsu, head of the Apollo's fighter wing, tried to contact Traitor's Bane's fighters.  
  
"Silver Spar Gamma, to Apollo Alpha, we're in Grid 62 by 3 by 19. Traitor's Bane had to commence evasive maneuvers; there was a Cylon fighter attack. We're trying to reach you, ETA, six minutes."  
  
"Roger that, we'll fall back till you.belay that, fighters inbound. Thunderbolts, go evasive!"  
  
Alpha Squadron hit their new afterburners and dove while Beta Squadron went right. Vipers from Caprican Avenger, which was simulating as a Cylon basestar, tore into the Thunderbolts.  
  
"Early, there's a fighter on your tail."  
  
"Thanks Jack."  
  
The two fighters used their thrusters to make an 180º turn, which put the tailing Viper right in front of them. The Thunderbolts pulse cannons fired low powered shots and the Viper was registered as 'dead'. Before the two pilots could celebrate, however, three more Vipers appeared from behind the first one. The quick change in direction had cut the Thunderbolts' velocity to nearly nothing; the Vipers made quick work of them.  
  
"Alpha Five, Alpha Six, return to base."  
  
"Roger Commander." The connection to Apollo ended. "Sorry Sam. My mistake."  
  
"No problem Jack. Hey, there's our escort." The two pilots watched as the fighters of Silver Spar Gamma Squadron raced to defend the rapidly dwindling bomber group.  
  
"Sam, when's our month up?"  
  
"Fourteen days, three hours, twelve minutes, and six seconds."  
  
"God, I can't wait to get out of that room. I haven't slept well since we moved in."  
  
"Apollo to Tyver, you're cleared for landing."  
  
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Group Commander Starbuck reviewed the results of the day's exercises. The different navies were working better with each other and learning how the others acted and reacted. Overall, the fleet was shaping up. There were some bad experiences of course; Caprican Avenger had destroyed Apollo and Traitor's Bane in their exercise. But, they lost more because of the ingenuity of the Caprican Avenger's commander than through any fault of there own. Commander Boomer displayed the same skill with a battlestar as he had with a Viper. Starbuck placed orders for the fleet to leave the pocket in forty hours. Those forty hours would be filled with exercises and maintenance though.  
  
"Group Commander, Captain Ivanova and I are here."  
  
"Come in Rigel. I'm ready for you two now." The two officers entered Starbuck's ready room, neither aware why he had called for them. "The fleet will leave in forty hours. I've decided to forgo our original plan; Cylon forces will be patrolling the whole region after the destruction of their basestar. If we follow our original route back, we're going to face ambushes every other day. So, instead, we're going to ambush the Cylons."  
  
"Sir, is that wise? We're going to suffer more losses against a large number of basestars than against one."  
  
"It doesn't matter how many ships we have though if we arrive too late back at the Colonies. They can't hold out too much longer Commander." Rigel nodded to that statement, although reluctantly. "Your opinion Captain?"  
  
"I say go for it sir. The fleet has improved drastically since we arrived; we can take them. Plus, we need some real practice before we face the real resistance in the next month or so."  
  
"Excellent. I wanted to use you two as a sounding board for my ideas before I present it to the battlegroup commanders. Captain, I recommend you return to ship now, you have an.interesting.exercise tomorrow."  
  
The two officers left the room and the Group Commander returned to his work. He would be up late that night, like so many nights before.  
  
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_Clange_  
  
"AAAAHHHHHH! That damn pipe again!"  
  
Jack Tyver tried not to laugh at his wingman's display. _Bang_ His friend had always overreacted when he was in The Room of No Hope; known in the logs as Pilot's Quarters Three (Repairs forthcoming). _CLANGE_ Ever since the Battle of Mars and the telepath incident, a pipe that passed through the room had been.malfunctioning. It shook and slammed into the metal encasing it. Which meant that the two pilots assigned to that room got very little sleep.  
  
_CLANGE CLANGE CLANGE_  
  
Jack Tyver tensed, but calmed down after there was no reaction from his wingman. Then he heard the distinctive whine of a PPG being armed. With an inaudible groan he tackled Sam before he could fire. The PPG was flying and Sam crashed into the floor hard. Jack felt him beginning to calm down again, when _CLANGE_. He knew it would be a long night.  
  
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In the empty, dark halls of Caprican Avenger, a man slowly walked while muttering to himself. He had been a member of the battlestar for over a yahren. His mind rebelled at what he was about to do, but the voice in his head insisted. That voice was too strong for him to resist, as it had been too strong at the recent battle with the Cylon basestar. He placed the device in the conduit and walked towards the commander's quarters; he had one more mission to accomplish.  
  
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She sat in the observatory of the battlestar, looking at the red and black mists of hyperspace. She could see several other ships of the battlegroup en route to the rendezvous point of the Cylon forces. Lyta Alexander could have been on the transport ship with the other telepaths, but something had drawn her to Traitor's Bane.  
  
"May I come in, Miss Alexander?" Shocked out of her reverie, Lyta spun around to view the intruder.  
  
"Of course Group Commander. I didn't expect you would be up at this hour." Starbuck quietly entered the dome, never taking his eyes off the incredible view.  
  
"I shouldn't, but I couldn't sleep. I was getting back to some unfinished paperwork, when I heard that you had come aboard the battlestar."  
  
"Is there a problem with that Group Commander? I'm sorry, but there hasn't been any problem with me coming aboard before now." Starbuck's attention drifted from hyperspace for the first time in the conversation.  
  
"No problem Miss Alexander, I was simply surprised. I assumed that you would be with the other telepaths onboard Star Clipper." Lyta didn't answer the question; she didn't know why she kept returning to the battlestar. She just.did. "When I was on Babylon 5 I had a conversation with Dr. Franklin. He said that if anyone knew how my people ended up so far from Earth, it would be the Vorlons. A little later I learned of your.relationship with the Vorlons."  
  
"And you would like to know if I know anything? Right Group Commander?"  
  
"Yes I would, I imagine we all would like to know, whether on Earth or New Caprica."  
  
Lyta Alexander was quiet for several seconds. She searched the vast corridors of her mind, trying to navigate through a maze of information she could not hope to comprehend or even express into words. As she approached the 'file' that held the information the Group Commander desired, she realized it was the same as the rest. She could not decipher the information held within. The time is not right came a voice in her mind. Soon, soon they will have to understand his.our mistake. One of our many mistakes. So many mistakes  
  
"I'm sorry Group Commander, I can't tell you anything."  
  
"Can't, or won't Miss Alexander?"  
  
"Neither.both.I don't know." The conversation ended there; Starbuck returned to his quarters, finding himself suddenly exhausted. Lyta's gaze returned to hyperspace as the fleet continued on. 


	4. Chapter 3: An Avenger's Last Act of Veng...

Chapter Three: An Avenger's Last Act of Vengeance  
  
Commander Boomer took his jacket down from his closet and put it on. He quickly examined himself in the mirror and walked towards the door of his quarters. He was due on the bridge in twenty minutes; the fleet would reach the Cylon position ten minutes after. As the door opened and the commander exited the room, he saw a blur of motion. He looked down to see a handle protruding from his chest. Boomer dropped to the floor and everything went black.  
  
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"Ten seconds till jump.five.four.three.two.one.all vessels jump and attack." The calm voice of Group Commander Starbuck echoed throughout the fleet.  
  
"Alpha, Beta, Gamma Squadrons.launch."  
  
Jack Tyver's Thunderbolt shot from the bay of the Apollo. Alpha Squadron rapidly formed up and joined with Beta Squadron. Gamma Squadron raced ahead, ready to clear the road of Cylon fighters. With four of the new anti-capital ship missiles attached to the lower wings, the Thunderbolts were in no condition to deal with fighters on their own.  
  
"Commander Jinsu, this is Alpha Five. Up ahead, that's a battlestar!"  
  
"Alpha Five, cut the chatter." The commander switched to the squadron frequency. "Listen up, Caprican Avenger's jump engines malfunctioned and she jumped in too close to the Cylons. Her ion engines are crippled too and the commander's dead. Alpha and Beta Squadrons dump your ordinance and close with the battlestar. Engage afterburners.now!"  
  
The twenty-four Thunderbolts raced towards the crippled battlestar. The Auroras of Gamma Squadron threw themselves at a large Cylon patrol squadron, clearing the road for the Thunderbolts. All across the field of battle, fighters raced for Caprican Avenger, trying to defend her from the approaching Cylon horde. The intricate plan created by the Group Commander was forgotten. The capital ships of the fleet closed with their Cylon opposites. The battle was about to become a slugging match.  
  
"Alpha Five and Six hit the Cylon fighters on the left flank."  
  
"Roger that Commander."  
  
The two Thunderbolts twisted away from the squadron and sped towards the five Cylon fighters maneuvering to flank the Apollo's fighters. A volley from eight pulse cannons slammed into the first fighter, which exploded. The four remaining fighters scattered.  
  
"Rejoin the squadron. They can't do anything now." Commander Jinsu watched the two Thunderbolts race back to the squadron. "All fighters, break on my mark. Three.two.one.mark."  
  
The Thunderbolts' formation opened up and they raced along the hull of the Caprican Avenger, helping her laser batteries against the Cylon fighters. Fighter groups from other vessels arrived soon after, followed by several White Stars. The Cylon fighters broke off their attacks on the battlestar and began to concentrate on their own survival. Over three hundred Cylon fighters from three basestars were slowly pushed back from the Caprican Avenger.  
  
"All fighters, capital ships will arrive in six minutes. Prepare to engage basestars."  
  
"Apollo's, this is Commander Jinsu, our target is the center basestar. We will begin our runs in five minutes. Take out as many fighters as you can before them."  
  
The five minutes slowly ran down. The Alliance and Colonial fighters pushed the Cylons farther and farther from the battlestar. Most of the flames from the Caprican Avenger had been extinguished and the capital ships, led by the EAS Titans, were about to rendezvous. Suddenly, the port side bay of the battlestar exploded.  
  
"This is Caprican Avenger to all vessels, the Cylons are launching capital missiles. We can't stop them all. Heavy damage to." Communications from the battlestar abruptly ended as another missile exploded, this one near the bridge.  
  
"This is Group Commander Starbuck. All fighters, engage basestars. Ignore the Cylon fighters. All capital ships, close on the Caprican Avenger with best speed. Break formation, I repeat, break formation."  
  
But it was hopeless. More and more missiles slammed into the battlestar. Life pods erupted from the battlestar as the power died. Few escaped the fury of the vessel's explosion. Meanwhile, the fleet's fighters were reeling from the numerous laser batteries of the basestars.  
  
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"Fire missiles at the enemy fighters. Power up the particle cannons, target the central basestar. Have our secondary batteries and all the weapons on the White Stars and Vorchans target enemy fighters. Punch a hole through there."  
  
"Aye Captain."  
  
The fire from the Titans and her squadron sliced apart dozens of Cylon fighters. They turned from their attacks on the Alliance fighters and raced towards the small squadron. A group of 40 Nials raced from behind the Titans, which hid them from Cylon sensors. They were the final fighter reserve of the fleet and tore into the Cylon fighter group. The disorganized horde of fighters was no match for the Nials. The Titans and her squadron reached optimal firing range with no further trouble.  
  
"Warn our fighters off that basestar. Give them thirty seconds and open fire." Captain Ivanova watched her plot as the fighters raced from the basestar, joining the fight surrounding the other two. "Particle cannons, fire!" Two red beams lanced into the basestar. Secondary explosions rippled along the hull of the vessel. Laser batteries ceased fire as their power couplings were cut.  
  
"Squadron orders, switch to target two."  
  
"Roger that Captain. Vessels acknowledging."  
  
"Warn our fighters off now. Fire secondary weapons now. Use the particle cannons as soon as they're recharged."  
  
The squadron closed with its second victim of the day, even as the first was still burning.  
  
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"Watch out Jack!"  
  
Jack Tyver hit his afterburners without thinking. He quickly glanced around and saw one of the Titans particle cannon blasts flash through the area of space he had just been occupying. "Thanks Sam." He examined the capital ships that were around him. A crippled Vorchan stood unmoving in the center and was protected by a sister ship. Two damaged White Stars circled the basestar, just out of range of its weapons. Most prominently stood the Warlock class destroyer, fighting a basestar single-handedly. "Let's move on to the last basestar. Ivanova's squadron has this one."  
  
"I'm right behind you Alpha Five. Lead on."  
  
The two pilots had lost track of the rest of the squadron a while before. Losses had been heavy against the first basestar and then part of the squadron had moved to engage the starboard basestar and the rest moved to the port one.  
  
"Scratch that Jack. It looks like the Minbari have that basestar."  
  
Three beams from a Minbari war cruiser intersected with the basestar. White Stars closed and joined in on the destruction of the basestar. Earth Force destroyers and Centauri battlecruisers were nearing firing range as well. The basestar would be destroyed long before the two fighters could arrive.  
  
"I agree Sam. I'm low on afterburner fuel, what's your situation?"  
  
"I'm almost on empty."  
  
"Alright, let's return to the Apollo. Most of the fighters are gone; we won't be able to do much good."  
  
"I agree."  
  
The fighters leisurely returned to the Omega class destroyer, ready to engage Cylon fighters if the need arose. Most of the Cylons were gone, however, and the flight was uneventful. By the time the Thunderbolts arrived at the Apollo's position, most of the flight group had already landed, although a few were still engaged with Cylon fighters at the fringe of the battlefield. An hour later, the fleet jumped out, leaving the wreckage of three basestars and a battlestar behind, along with innumerable fighters. 


End file.
